“I don’t recognize you.” Li Yali smiled. “How come you’re so amazing? I never realized it before. I thought you sounded really impressive just now.”

"Is that so? That's because you don't understand your man. I have many other strengths." After his rebirth, Wang Tianxiao was mature and experienced in front of others, but he was playful and unrestrained in front of his wife.

In his past life, he was not good with words. Although he had a good relationship with his wife, they rarely had such natural and warm daily moments as a couple. The pressure of life was overwhelming, and he naturally passed that pressure on to his wife.

"Hey hey hey, here we go again. You're so easily flattered, you get all high and mighty with just one compliment," Li Yali said with a smile, her eyes full of affection.

She had seen and heard everything that happened in the yard through the window, and felt proud of her husband. She felt that her man was gentle and caring at home, but upright and unyielding in public.

That's wonderful!

Wang Tianxiao smiled and didn't refute his wife. He untied the bag, took out the cloth he had bought, and handed it to his wife. Li Yali was overjoyed when she saw it, turning it over and over to look at it, unable to put it down.

"This is for me. Where did you get so much money?"

"Didn't we sell the rabbit?"

"How much can a rabbit sell for? This fabric looks so nice, it feels really comfortable to the touch, and the color is just right. I'm afraid it'll cost several cents per meter."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Actually, this cloth costs several cents per foot, which adds up to several yuan.

But fearing his wife wouldn't be willing to spend the money, Wang Tianxiao didn't tell the truth. Suddenly changing spending habits might not necessarily make his wife happy; it could even increase her anxiety. He figured he should take it slow.

He left a portion of the fried cakes he bought for his wife and took the rest to his mother's cave dwelling.

"Mother, I'm lying down."

When Wang Tianxiao went inside, he saw his mother lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), her eyes slightly closed.

My younger sister, Wang Xiaozhu, went to school and hasn't come back yet.

Zhang Meifeng opened her eyes and looked at her son, asking, "What's wrong, second son?"

"I went to the city to sell things today and brought you some fried cakes. They're soft and delicious. Try some." Wang Tianxiao placed the bag of fried cakes on the railing, took one out for his mother, and then sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Zhang Meifeng hesitated for a moment, then sat up, took the fried cake, and started eating.

How does it taste?

"It's quite sweet and delicious."

"That's good." Wang Tianxiao lay down in front of his mother.

Think about it, my mother passed away more than 20 years ago. Although she had a bad temper and a stubborn personality, it was not easy for her to raise nine children on her own.

She may not have been that strong to begin with, but with all the burdens of life weighing on her, she had no choice but to become tough to be a good mother.

Zhang Meifeng looked at her second son's face, took out a small key from her pocket, and handed it to Wang Tianxiao.

"What is this, Mother?"

"Open the box near the stove. There's a bracelet at the very bottom of the clothes. It's a gift my mother-in-law left me. Take it. You said you wanted to divide the family property, but I don't have much money to give you now. How are you going to divide it?"

Wang Tianxiao's eyes welled up slightly as he saw the worry in his mother's eyes. He gently placed the key back in his mother's hand. "Mom, don't worry, I'll definitely find a way. Your son works for the government."

“What kind of government job is this?” Zhang Meifeng sighed. “No job is easy to get by, and you have to work hard and have to put up with other people’s attitudes. I know it’s not easy for you to be alone in another city, and I know that your third son’s wife is no pushover, but I’m getting old, and there are many things I can’t do…”

"It's okay, I understand."

Do you really understand?

"Of course! Your son is so smart."

Zhang Meifeng was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly realized that her son seemed a little strange today. He was so glib and smooth-talking. Then she thought about it and realized that he had become a different person since he came back this time.

But upon closer inspection, it was clearly his own son.

A mother can tell at a glance whether a child is real or not.

She smiled slightly.

Only at this moment did he realize that there was another capable man in the family; his second son had truly grown up.

After leaving his mother's cave dwelling, Wang Tianxiao felt much better. He knew that his mother still held many feudal ideas, such as valuing sons over daughters and disliking her granddaughter. She also knew that because of the two villages, she had always treated his wife poorly.

But this is only part of a mother's role.

As for the part about motherhood, she has always done it very well.

As a mother, I feel I haven't let my child down in any way.

As dusk fell, smoke began to rise from the chimneys of every house.

Wang Tianxiao and the third and fourth brothers all cook for themselves. The fifth and sixth brothers, who are not married, eat with their mother along with Xiao Jiu.

Wang Tianxiao left a wild rabbit in the morning, and squatted down by the seepage pit in the yard to process it, while several children and Xiao Jiu gathered around to watch.

"Erda, what is this?" Little Hongwei had only recently learned to speak, but he was already quite mischievous. He squatted down next to Wang Tianxiao, staring at him with great interest.

"This is for plucking the rabbit's fur," Wang Fang explained to her cousin.

Why pluck the hair?

"Of course we'll eat meat, brother." Xiao Tian was a boy, but he was very handsome. When he grew up, he was the best-looking boy in the whole family.

It's a pity that he later died in a traffic accident.

Because Wang Tianxiao has the mindset of an old man, even though these are all his nephews, he feels a sense of kinship between generations.

He chatted patiently with the children, making them all laugh.

“Hongwei, come back. Don’t you have a home?” Yu Xiaofeng called from inside.

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